An Analysis of the COVID-19-Induced Flexible Grading Policy at a Public University.

To help students cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions offered students flexible grading policies that blended traditional letter grades with alternative grading options such as the pass-fail or credit-no credit options. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the flexible grading policy at a medium-sized university in the USA. We studied the differential selection of flexible grading options by course characteristics and students' sociodemographics and academic profiles between Spring 2020 and Spring 2021. We also examined the impacts of the policy on sequential courses. Our analysis utilized administrative and transcript data for undergraduate students at the study institution and employed a combination of descriptive statistics and regression models. The analysis revealed that the flexible grading policy was utilized differently depending on course characteristics, with core courses and subjects like mathematics, chemistry, and economics having higher rates of usage. Additionally, sociodemographic and academic profile factors led to varying degrees of utilization, with males, urban students, freshmen, and non-STEM majors using the policy more frequently. Furthermore, the analysis suggested that the policy may have disadvantaged some students as they struggled in subsequent courses after using the pass option. Several implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Digital health and telehealth in cancer care: a scoping review of reviews.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote cancer care delivery via the internet and telephone, rapidly accelerating an already growing care delivery model and associated research. This scoping review of reviews characterised the peer-reviewed literature reviews on digital health and telehealth interventions in cancer published from database inception up to May 1, 2022, from PubMed, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Cochrane Reviews, and Web of Science. Eligible reviews conducted a systematic literature search. Data were extracted in duplicate via a pre-defined online survey. Following screening, 134 reviews met the eligibility criteria. 77 of those reviews were published since 2020. 128 reviews summarised interventions intended for patients, 18 addressed family caregivers, and five addressed health-care providers. 56 reviews did not target a specific phase of the cancer continuum, whereas 48 reviews tended to address the active treatment phase. 29 reviews included a meta-analysis, with results showing positive effects on quality of life, psychological outcomes, and screening behaviours. 83 reviews did not report intervention implementation outcomes but when reported, 36 reported acceptability, 32 feasibility, and 29 fidelity outcomes. Several notable gaps were identified in these literature reviews on digital health and telehealth in cancer care. No reviews specifically addressed older adults, bereavement, or sustainability of interventions and only two reviews focused on comparing telehealth to in-person interventions. Addressing these gaps with rigorous systematic reviews might help guide continued innovation in remote cancer care, particularly for older adults and bereaved families, and integrate and sustain these interventions within oncology.

Compendium of analytical methods for sampling, characterization and quantification of bioaerosols

Bioaerosols are suspensions of airborne particulate matter of biological origin (BioPM) which includes microorganisms and the products of these organisms. Bioaerosols are ubiquitous in indoor and outdoor environments and can become dispersed by attaching to other particles. Bioaerosols are diverse in terms of their size, composition and biological properties and are an important transmission route for infectious and sensitization agents. More recently, bioaerosols have received significant scientific and societal attention from industry, academia, government and the wider public due to the emergence and global spread of COVID-19 and the threat of bioterrorism. Yet despite their importance for human health, the microbiological components of aerosols and their species dispersal from various environments remains poorly understood. Moreover, there is a lack of understanding of the ecology and role that bioaerosols play in the environment. As a result of these knowledge gaps, health officials and regulators have been hindered in their assessment of public and occupational health exposures and risk. For example, a better understanding of the concentrations and composition of bioaerosols in a particular environment, and the transmission dynamics of pathogens and their components, can inform on the appropriate ventilation rates and hygiene procedures to maintain good air quality and reduce human health risk. However, there are currently many uncertainties still remaining with regard to exposure assessment. To better understand the impact of bioaerosol exposure on human health, comprehensive methods to detect, characterise and quantify bioaerosols are needed. Although significant advances in technologies for bioaerosol sampling and analysis have been achieved over the last two decades or so, a consensus on air sampling methods for a particular context or environment and a universal analysis method still does not exist. This makes it difficult for researchers to compare data across studies, and for regulators to set meaningful exposure limits. BioAirNet is a UKRI NERC-funded project which acts as a leading voice for the UK BioPM science community and operates around four themes: Theme (1) BioPM sources and dynamics;Theme (2) BioPM sampling and characterisation;Theme (3) Human health, behaviour and wellbeing;and Theme (4) Policy and public engagement. As part of Theme 2, researchers, regulators, and public health officials have developed this compendium and Fig. 1 presents an overview of BioAirNet Theme 2. This compendium aims to provide a comprehensive toolbox of current techniques, workflows, and technologies for bioaerosol sampling, characterisation, and monitoring across different environments for researchers, epidemiologists, regulators, public health officials and regulators involved in bioaerosols. The overall goal of this text is to support the development of useful standards to better regulate and monitor bioaerosols worldwide.

Health Care Providers' and Professionals' Experiences With Telehealth Oncology Implementation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Rapid implementation of telehealth for cancer care during COVID-19 required innovative and adaptive solutions among oncology health care providers and professionals (HPPs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore oncology HPPs' experiences with telehealth implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was conducted at Moffitt Cancer Center (Moffitt), an NCI (National Cancer Institute)-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to COVID-19, Moffitt piloted telehealth visits on a limited basis. After COVID-19, Moffitt rapidly expanded telehealth visits. Telehealth visits included real-time videoconferencing between HPPs and patients and virtual check-ins (ie, brief communication with an HPP by telephone only). We conducted semistructured interviews with 40 oncology HPPs who implemented telehealth during COVID-19. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes using Dedoose software (version 4.12). RESULTS: Approximately half of the 40 participants were physicians (n=22, 55%), and one-quarter of the participants were advanced practice providers (n=10, 25%). Other participants included social workers (n=3, 8%), psychologists (n=2, 5%), dieticians (n=2, 5%), and a pharmacist (n=1, 3%). Five key themes were identified: (1) establishing and maintaining patient-HPP relationships, (2) coordinating care with other HPPs and informal caregivers, (3) adapting in-person assessments for telehealth, (4) developing workflows and allocating resources, and (5) future recommendations. Participants described innovative strategies for implementing telehealth, such as coordinating interdisciplinary visits with multiple HPPs and inviting informal caregivers (eg, spouse) to participate in telehealth visits. Health care workers discussed key challenges, such as workflow integration, lack of physical exam and biometric data, and overcoming the digital divide (eg, telehealth accessibility among patients with communication-related disabilities). Participants recommended policy advocacy to support telehealth (eg, medical licensure policies) and monitoring how telehealth affects patient outcomes and health care delivery. CONCLUSIONS: To support telehealth growth, implementation strategies are needed to ensure that HPPs and patients have the tools necessary to effectively engage in telehealth. At the same time, cancer care organizations will need to engage in advocacy to ensure that policies are supportive of oncology telehealth and develop systems to monitor the impact of telehealth on patient outcomes, health care quality, costs, and equity.